Yesterday, the FAA told Gizmodo it was “working on guidance” concerning Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 amid reports of the devices exploding when charged, but at least one airline outside of America appears to have already taken action, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
According to customer Dean Cabena, Qantas crew members warned passengers that charging the Note 7 was prohibited during a flight from Perth to Sydney this week.
A Qantas spokesperson later confirmed that the Australian airline was asking customers not to charge the smartphones in the air, telling the Herald, “Following the worldwide recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 Personal Electronic Device (PED), we are requesting that passengers do not charge them inflight.”
So far, Samsung has offered refunds and exchanges for customers who bought the Note 7, but has yet to coordinate an official recall with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. If they had, officials say the smartphone’s batteries would be banned from passenger-carrying aircraft under FAA rules.
[SMH]